Compressible mechanism for toy

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a compressible mechanism for a toy. The compressible mechanism includes a first mounting portion, a second mounting portion, a coil spring, a power source, and a switch. The first mounting portion is capable of being secured to a part of the toy. The second mounting portion is capable of being secured to another part of the toy. The coil spring is made of electromagnetic material. The coil spring includes a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end are connected to the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion respectively. The power source is configured for providing a voltage across the coil spring. The switch is used for turning on or turning off the voltage across the coil spring.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to toys, and particularly, to a compressible mechanism for a toy.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the design and manufacturing stages of toy production, durability, appearance, easy of operation, cost, and facilely must be considered. Toys with compressible appendages or other body parts, such as the neck, currently exist. However, such toys use special stretchable materials which are expensive and lacking in rigidity or involve complex mechanical linkages which are prone to failure.

Therefore, a need exist in the design and manufacturing stages of a toy to overcome the above-described problems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present compressible mechanism for a toy can be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present compressible mechanism for a toy.

FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric view of a compressible mechanism for a toy according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an isometric, cut-away view of the compressible mechanism of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the compressible mechanism of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a compressible mechanism 100 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The compressible mechanism 100 can be used in a compressible appendage, a neck or other body parts of a toy. The compressible mechanism 100 includes a first mounting portion 110, a second mounting portion 120, a power source 130, a switch 140, and a coil spring 150 with a number of turns.

The first mounting portion 110 and the second mounting portion 120 are capable of being secured to two parts of the toy respectively. In the present embodiment, the compressible mechanism 100 is used in a neck of the toy, and the first mounting portion 110 and the second mounting portion 120 are capable of being secured to a head (not shown) and a body (not shown) of the toy respectively. The first mounting portion 110 defines a number of first screw holes 111, and the second mounting portion 120 defines a number of second screw holes 121. Thus, the first mounting portion 110 and the second mounting portion 120 can be secured to the head and the body of the toy conveniently.

The coil spring 150 includes a first end 151 and a second end 152. The first end 151 and the second end 152 of the coil spring 150 are connected to the first mounting portion 110 and the second mounting portion 120 respectively. The coil spring 150 is made of electromagnetic material, such as iron, cobalt, nickel or combinations thereof. In the present embodiment, the coil spring 150 is coated with an insulating layer 160. The insulating layer 160 can be made of plastic, rubber, or other like material.

Further referring to FIG. 3, the first end 151 and the second end 152 of the coil spring 150 are electrically connected to a cathode 131 and an anode 132 of the power source 130 respectively via wires 160. The switch 140 is electrically connected between the second end 152 of the coil spring 150 and the anode 132 of the power source 130, so that, the switch 140 can be used to apply a voltage across the coil spring 150.

When a voltage is applied across the coil spring 150, each turn of the coil spring 150 generates a magnetic field, because the magnetic fields generated by the turns of the coil spring 150 have a same direction, each two adjacent turns of the coil spring 150 will attract each other and the coil spring 150 will contract. When the voltage is no longer applied across the coil spring 150, the coil spring 150 will return to its original shape due to elastic force. The compressible mechanism 100 of the present embodiment can contract and stretch following the coil spring 150 contracting and stretching.

In the present embodiment, the switch 140 and the power source 130 can be secured to an inner surface of a skin (not shown) of the toy. The switch 140 can be actuated by a button (not shown) exposed on an outer surface of the toy. In other embodiments, the switch 140 and the power source 130 can also be secured on the first mounting portion 110 or the second mounting portion 120.

While certain embodiments have been described and exemplified above, various other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments described and exemplified, and the embodiments are capable of considerable variation and modification without departure from the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A compressible mechanism for a toy, comprising: a first mounting portion capable of being secured to a part of the toy; a second mounting portion capable of being secured to another part of the toy; a coil spring made of electromagnetic material, the coil spring comprising a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end being connected to the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion respectively; a power source for providing a voltage across the coil spring; and a switch capable of turning on or turning off the voltage across the coil spring.
 2. The compressible mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion defines a plurality of screw holes.
 3. The compressible mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coil spring is made of a material selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel and combinations thereof.
 4. The compressible mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coil spring is coated with an insulating layer.
 5. The compressible mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the insulating layer is made of plastic or rubber.
 6. A compressible mechanism for a toy, comprising: a first mounting portion capable of being secured to a part of the toy; a second mounting portion capable of being secured to another part of the toy; and a coil spring being made of electromagnetic material, the coil spring comprising a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end being connected to the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion respectively, the coil spring capable of being applied a voltage across.
 7. The compressible mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion defines a plurality of screw holes.
 8. The compressible mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the coil spring is made of a material selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel and combinations thereof.
 9. The compressible mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the coil spring is coated with an insulating layer.
 10. The compressible mechanism as claimed in claim 9, wherein the insulating layer is made of plastic or rubber. 